Traditional cabinets for exhibitions rely on relatively passive elements. A physical object is generally displayed behind a glass panel, which enables the display of the object while giving some level of security. There is at times some dynamic aspects in such exhibitions, e.g., placing an element over a rotating support.
Recently, with the popularization of flat screens, we have images on display, with which a degree of interactivity exists that is generally limited by the exhibited element.
Robust industrial solutions that simultaneously overcome the numerous limitations of the state of the art do not yet exist.
When interactivity occurs in the state of the art, it is limited to a set of responses that, also by architectural constraints, are sometimes purely arbitrary. Frequently, hardware solutions are employed that aim to surpass the volatility associated with software and which typically integrate Flash-memory, of which short supply was traditionally a quantitative restriction to the amount of content that systems would encompass.
In exemplary embodiments of this invention, such constraints are surpassed by the degree of sophistication, which allows for a (programmed) specific reaction instead of a non-specific or even arbitrary reaction, i.e., randomized from a rigid memory pool.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can expand the interactivity in cabinet exhibitions. The integration of traditional display elements with extensive databases is present in the state of the art; however, indexing is flawed by problems such as cultural dispersion and jeopardizing object-concept integrity. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may yield a usability and effectiveness level that is not comprised in the state of the art.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention aim to replace the traditional catalogue/reference-guide influenced visit, enabling a user-friendly way to provide a virtually unlimited amount of object-contexted information to the user.
Some related art are discussed below.
The patents from GestureTek, and per respective site http://www.gesturetek.com/, associate the triggering of content with positions of the hands—such solution does not rely on contact, as do the several possible exemplary embodiments of this invention. The basic technique is unrelated, and thus, the technical implementation does not overlap, resulting in a dissimilar user experience.
Patents FR2680588, from G.O. Fabric and JP2004054065, from SAEILO JAPAN INC—focus on the barrier between the inside and the outside of stores, aiming to safeguard the interaction equipment; this invention extends the equipment's level of functionality, not dealing with its safeguard.
Patent WO93016625, from Harald Weingärtner—deals with the essential questions surrounding lighting; such is not the scope of this invention, in which the lighting is not arranged to solve a problem, but rather is used in a simple manner to then compose a complex degree of function, but which is not dependent on a particular lighting array.
Patent WO2005083340, from Goran Trifunovic—works in a fundamental different way from this invention, since it reacts to proximity and not to a deliberate input; it moreover includes accessory functions which are not used in this invention. On the other hand, it does not display image or text. Its function is clearly that of an attention grabber, which is not the case of this invention.
Patent JP2005107546 “INTERACTIVE DISPLAY APPARATUS”—refers to an optimization of solutions, that while bearing some resemblance with the present invention, are of a lesser degree of sophistication, resulting in a different functionality.